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May 7, 2011

Spring Fireworks

The past week has kind of been a whirlwind. I turned 23, got accepted into grad school and program of choice, helped Scott get things ready for his final portfolio for school that was due yesterday, and also made numerous doctors appointments to take care of wisdom teeth, stomach issues, etc.

Today I thought I would share a little bit about my grad school story. Going into college I had it in my mind already that I would go to grad school, even though at the time I had no idea what for. So throughout my time at community college and early on at ASU I thought long and hard about it. The thought of not knowing what I was going to do after college terrified me, and I knew that I needed to figure things out for myself, whether I was going to actually go to grad school, or just go straight into the work force. So during my junior year I met with my then advisor to talk with her about grad school. Well, for some reason my advisor and I never seem to really see eye-to-eye, which made things difficult, and because of this it did not make my grad school talk with her very easy. I remember leaving from her office that day crying, not knowing what I was going to do with my life. She told me that since I am in the journalism program now, I couldn't go into the grad school program there and my only option was out-of-state (not an option for myself). It wouldn't be until the next year that I would meet someone that would put everything into perspective for myself.

My senior year I found out I had a new advisor. After finding out I promptly made an appointment with her, and the moment I stepped into her office I felt relieved. She had music playing, a cute gnome/forrest garden on her desk, and a sign that said crying is ok here. This lady was seriously the answer to all my prayers.

Over the next few months she helped me pin down a great grad school program at ASU that fit perfectly with that I enjoy, and a field that I could see myself working in. So I sent my application in during the beginning of February, and impatiently waited until the cut-off date in early April. Every time I would log into my ASU account I would look at the little box that always said my application was in review, hoping it would change to accepted.

Two or so weeks went by after the application deadline and I still hadn't heard back, so I made a call to the school and they told me it would be another three weeks or so. My stomach sank a little, but I knew it would be fine.

So on Tuesday, May 3rd I was sitting in one of the design buildings on the ASU Tempe campus when I saw my phone blinking bright green, letting me know I had an email. I turned the phone on, opened the email, and felt a sigh of relief and a rush of happiness when I read that I, Ms. Chelsea Brown, was accepted into the Communication Studies (MA) program at ASU (which has a strong emphasis in advocacy, something that is near, and dear to my heart).

It's safe to say that if I wouldn't have been in such a public, with a presentation going on nonetheless, I would have been jumping up and down for joy. I was so happy that Scott was there with me at the moment I found out though, we both smiled at each other and he rubbed my back. That was all I needed. It felt like fireworks were going off inside of me, and then I knew that things would truly be good for Scott and myself in the future. We're going to have a great life, and I can't wait to see what lies ahead for us.

So I did it, and I couldn't be any happier with my decision! I will see you grad school in the fall, you better be ready for me!

Are you going to go (or already in) to grad school? For what, and why did you decide it was the right decision for yourself?

Congratulations, that's so exciting! :) I'm in the phase where I don't know if I should go straight to grad school or take a year off to get internships and more experience. I'm graduating next year, so I have time to think, but it's already so stressful. And I want to go for mass communication and media, so we'll see what happens. Have fun!

I loooooved this post!! The journey of going from undergraduate to grad school is so magical...I'm so happy to be watching you go through this. It's wonderful to relive it :) This is such an exciting time for you!!